Monday, August 6, 2007

Nagging Irritation

Nick Cohen wrote a thought provoking piece in the Observer yesterday about the trials of aircraft and airports. His observation that it was unlikely that "...any writer could capture the frazzled experience of being stuck in a second-rate shopping centre tacked onto a third-rate transport system." was well made. After a week in which BA's travails with collusion and record for baggage handling were accompanied by business leaders warning that poor airports were a threat to the City's fortunes and BAA atrying to secure an injunction against protestors demonstrating against the new runway at Heathrow, things are not pretty.

Cohen goes on to observe that much of the pain caused by massive air traffic is by its noise. Citing a report co-authored by Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard University entitled "The Peculiar Longevity of Things Not So Bad" he notes that intense emotions quickly fade as our minds compensate for the extreme feelings, but little nagging annoyances wear us down because there is no equivalent release mechanism in the mind.

He also notes that the brain can tune out steady sounds, like the constant rumble of road noise, but cannot cope with irregular loud sounds, such as aircraft flying over, and we find these noises intensely troubling, even after years of exposure.

Cohen reports that a group of Dutch economists analysed the situation 'enjoyed' by people living near to Schipol airport. Their findings were that houses were not appreciably cheaper because they were located under flight paths (housing around Amsterdam, like London, is in short supply) and the report concluded that the 'cost in misery' from aircraft noise to those residents was £1.60 per flight. The piece closes with the thought that, given this research, perhaps those people living near to airports may have grounds to sue the authorities for compensation. Hmmm.

What its all about...

People behaving badly, or bizarrely, are not the only things that make airlines and air travel so fascinating. Flying is fun, air travel is glamorous and it’s the source of more than its fair share of amusing incidents.

According to our publisher it's "an hilarious, ghastly, amazing and sometimes even down right worrying insight into the airline industry and the world of aviation. Packed full of trivia, gossip, stories and anecdotes it is the perfect read for a flight to a holiday destination." And who are we to argue?

Chris and I thought we'd like to share some of the amusing stories from the book and for you to tell us what has happened to you. We will also be trawling the world for yet more funny stories to keep you in the know about the crazy wacky world of airlines and flying.